If you’re living in the US, your credit score is like your lifeline – something so essential; it determines whether or not you can have access to insurance, a new car or a house. And so, the importance of the credit score can never be understated. There are however ways in which consumers unknowingly harm their credit scores and end up receiving high interest rates, thanks to the counter-intuitive credit scoring system in the US. This article puts together a list of five things to be careful of if you want to maintain a good credit score. We do this by working our way backwards, by disintegrating FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) credit score components and looking at what affects them. more...